All’s Fair…

So today my tarot card of the day is Justice. If I were to rattle off a list of associations, we think not just of Earthly Justice, the Justice System, the law, lawyers but of Divine Justice and Karma. Justice is also associated with Libra. Libra and the 7th House correspond to relationships and partnerships. It calls us to be Fair, Balanced, Ethical, Moral and Principled. It calls us to be “The Righteous Man” so to speak.

I often admonish querents to be sure that they are on the right side of the situation when this card comes up in their reading. We are usually the heroes in our own stories. What do our actions look like to the Neutral, All Seeing, Unerring Eyes of Justice? Remembering that in Tarot, Justice is not blind but looks straight at us.

Qabalistically, you might think that the Justice card should be somewhere on the middle pillar, the pillar of equilibrium. Justice does sit between the pillars of a very similar but different Temple than the High Priestess. And much like the High Priestess, there is a veil that separates us from the Holy of Holies. Justice sees all, Justice knows all but there are still some things that we cannot see, understand or comprehend. The connection with 11/1 and also 2 traces this card’s energy from an eternal place of Unity to crowns, governments, leaders, and philosophies that rule over and guide Earthly existence. We are meant to trust that those that cheat, that lie, that abuse will be brought into the light of day. This implicit request for trust is a big ask for me right now.

You might also think that this card belongs between Might and Mercy but it isn’t. Where it lives on the Tree of Life is between Geburah/ Might and Tipheret/ Beauty. It is the beauty of the soul awaken and resplendent. It sees how all things are connected and what part they have to play in that Tapestry of Life. It might even be considered the place of the Christ Consciousness. The place where shamen walk between the worlds at One with all that is. The ebullient light of the Sun and conscious awareness of Tipheret calls forth the very best qualities of Leo to be a Co-Creatrix. Life is a stage and all things work together to create the theatrical display of which we all play a part. So what exactly is the story we are telling in our relationships, partnerships, agreements, social contracts?

Understanding that Justice is not something that is out there but that it is something that also comes from within. It requires we engage with it. My mind moves to our political climate. I struggle to see what Justice sees. I struggle to see how everything connects, and trust we will come to a place of balance once again.

I must see and act to the best of my ability to bring about that long view of Justice and Equality. What is it that I can do? I will most certainly vote. I will encourage others to vote. I will chat and build community. I will listen and do my utmost to hear and address with respect those that I love but with which I philosophically disagree. I will continue my petitions. I will burn my candles. But I would not be completely honest, if I did not share that all of these things really feel like an illusion of control, whistling in the dark. Things that make me feel better in the moment. I am dubious of their long-lasting effects. Can I and Do I make a difference!?

I find that I float all around the tree to every Sephiroth to the exclusion of Geburah. This is the place where might makes right, of merciless Justice. Ruled by Mars God of War. Oftentimes, it has a “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” /Old Testament Justice, Eye for an Eye/ Scorched Earth/ Cleansing Fire flavor. I find myself sitting here without discomfort and wondering what it means.

Justice holds the knife for surgically cutting out things that create imbalance. I feel compelled to action. Much like an actor calling to the director “What’s my Motivation!?”. There were times in my life where I feel like I had a choice to do something or not. I always have that choice. But in this moment, I feel that primal call tickling at the very back of my mind. That self-preservation part of me that compels me to do something. Everyone has a fight, flight or freeze response. And if you know me, you know that my reaction is typically to fight.

I’d like to think that I’m a realist. In my younger years, I was definitely an optimist. That optimism led to repeated disappointment in myself, in others and the state of the world. So I chose to become a realist, to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised with the best. Here is me doing my best, playing my part, fingers crossed, engaging with Lady Justice and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.